USA خولی ئەمریکی

وەرز

Regular Season:------------

Format:
23 teams, divided into 1 group of 11 teams (Eastern Conference) and 1 group of 12 teams (Western Conference) on regional basis.
Each team plays all the others from its own group two to three times - of which at least once home and once away; and and all the teams from the other group once - for a total of 34 games each.

Scoring points:
3 points for a win, 1 point for a draw, 0 points for a loss.

Qualification for CONCACAF competitions:
The team's records from the 2017 and 2018 MLS Supporters' Shield Tables are combined into a single Aggregate table (68 games each).
USA has 4 places in the CONCACAF Champions League, which are to be distributed to the winners of the 2017 and 2018 MLS Cup and the winners of the 2017 and 2018 US Open Cup.
If any of those 4 winners isn't eligible (due to being Canadian team) or if any team wins two more more of those quotas, then the remaining freed up quotas are distributed to the best placed teams in the Aggregate table.

Relegation from the league:
no established promotion/relegation system

Promotion to the league:
no established promotion/relegation system

Final Stages (MLS Cup):------------

Format:
12 teams from the Regular Season contest the MLS Cup winner in a knockout format.
The 4 teams, placed 1st and 2nd in each conference, enter the MLS Cup directly at the Conference Semi-finals.

Play-in Round:
Teams are paired according to their Regular Season standings:
3rd in Eastern Conference vs 6th in Eastern Conference;
4th in Eastern Conference vs 5th in Eastern Conference;
3rd in Western Conference vs 6th in Western Conference;
4th in Western Conference vs 5th in Western Conference.
Winners are decided over one leg, with extra time and penalties if score is level after regular time.
The higher placed teams from the Regular Season are hosts.

Conference Semi-finals:
Teams are paired as follows:
1st in Eastern Conference vs worst placed Eastern Conference team (match A);
2nd in Eastern Conference vs second worst placed Eastern Conference team (match B);
1st in Western Conference vs worst placed Western Conference team (match C);
2nd in Western Conference vs second worst placed Western Conference team (match D).
Winners are decided over two legs.
The higher placed teams from the Regular Season host the second legs.

Conference Finals:
Teams are paired as follows:
winner match A vs winner match B;
winner match C vs winner match D.
Winners are decided over two legs.
The higher placed teams from the Regular Season host the second legs.

Tie-breakers for the knockout matches over two legs:
1. aggregate score from the two legs, 2. extra time, 3. penalties.

Final:
The two Semi-finals winners meet each other with the winner becoming MLS Cup winner.
Winner is decided over one leg, with extra time and penalties if score is level after regular time.
The higher placed team in the MLS Supporters' Shield table is host.

Qualification for CONCACAF competitions:
winner: CONCACAF Champions League
* - Canadian teams (Montreal Impact, Toronto and Whitecaps) are not eligible for CONCACAF Champions League qualification through the MLS.
** - if the MLS Cup winner has already qualified for the CONCACAF Champions League (due to winning the 2017 or 2018 US Open Cup), then the best placed team in the MLS Supporters' Shield table for 2017 and 2018 combined that hasn't qualified enters the competition instead.